Dr. Nicholas is a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA in the Division of Nephrology where she maintains her clinical responsibilities, and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, where she conducts her research. She is also a Clinical Hypertension Specialist. Dr. Nicholas’ research interests are to: understand and identify key factors that promote the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD); uncover and validate novel biomarkers that may predict DKD progression; and to quantify renal structural changes associated with DKD in response to novel therapeutics, using stereology principles. Her research over the past 15+ years has led to the identification of a novel biomarker of DKD, which is being validated in clinical studies.